Valve-actuating mechanism



April 6 1926.

E. F. NIEDECKEN VALVE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed June 18, 1925 fiG;2

Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

- UNITED S TES A E TLF CE- 3 EDWARD a. NIEDEGKEN, on MILwAUKEm-fwIsco sm, Assn Given. To iHornMAmv-f BILLINGS MFG. 00., 0F mnwauxnnwrsconsm, a CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN. 7

, nvA vncan Tme MEcn'ANIsM.

' Application film/June 18,1925." Serial no. 37,999. 7

To aZZw/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, EnwAizniF; NiEDECKEN, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at. Milwaukee, in the county', of Milwaukeeand State of Wisconsin', have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Valve- Actuating Mechanisin,ofwhich the follow ing is a specification, reference being'had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part thereof. i

This invention relates to improvementsin valve actuating mechanism" of the type'having a dead-center position which is passed in effecting movementof the valve to open position whereby the latter and said mechanism are held against return movement due to any pressure which might be brought to. bear upon the valve, and more particularly to'means for providing a stop to limit the valve-opening movementof the mechanism to a predetermined position beyon'dits dead, center position; V t f' Waste valves, such as'are used for openf ing and closing the'drain 'or outletopen ings of bathtubs, wash basins and the like, are generally provided with manually-open able mechanism adaptedto actuatethevalve;

This mechanism in some cases has coin pr1sed, '1n general, a shaft having one end thereof journaled 1n and e'xter'idingmtoj the drain or outlet pipe, and acam fixed "to' this end of the shaft and adapted to engag'ewlth the lower end of the valve stem to-effect? opening and closing movement of the valve upon rotation of the shaft, the valve movingvertically' in the drain pipe and seating upon the upper end thereof. It has been the practice to so arrange the cam thatit hasa' dead-center position with respect 7 to. the valve in effecting opening.movementthere of, the drain pipe b'eingprovided fwith-a suitable lug-0r stop adapted to engage' 'or coact with the cam" when it passesslightly beyond this dead-center positionfwhere'byt the weight of the valve and the pressure l the out-flowing .water thereon cannotfcause' movement 'ofthe cam in the opposite direc tion to permitthe valve to close, the weight? of'the valve and the pressure of thefwater thereon, on the contrary, urging thebcam; against the stop and thereby tending'to hold itfin position to hold the valveopen." 'The shaft to which the'fcam is fixed is provided at its outer end with a' crank armand a after appear.

manually-operablemember connected thereto and extending upwardly through the back edge orshelf of the basin within cons venient' reach, outer end of the'shaft is so arranged that when the cam is movedslightlyipast its dead-' center position and engages the' st'op" in the drainpipe during the valve-opening, movement of the mechanism,'the crank arm" is an appreciable distance forward of its dead-center position so thatv upon "down ward *movement of the manually ope'rablemembenthe shaft is rotated in an opposite direction to elfect'closing "of the valve. It has, therefore,-been necessary to adjust the angular relation of the crank arm and the cam w 1tl1' a certain amount of precision, as

The crank'arm fixed to the 3 well 'as the relation of'th e stop in the drain" I pipe with respectto thecam, so that ithe" latter engages the stop "when it is "slightly beyond its. dead-center;position and before the; crank-f arm "I reaches a dead center pfosi-f 151011. This construction has not been'entirelyf'satisfactory for the reason that 'jin properly setting up the valve and actuating mechanism, thereof, "a certain 'a1nount -of skill and, experience is necessary effecti ing adjustment of the" various parts so that;

the device" works properly; fAlthoughfthe valve and its actuating mechanism maybe properly installed, it has been found" that certain of the parts tend to work loose 7 in the course of time] and cause theactuating vmechanism for thevalve to'get out of ad-*' 7 justment and becomeinoperativeff one of .r

the objects of the present invention, there fore, to provide. improved valve actuating mechanism" of theicharacter referred "to above which in and of itself provides a-stop for the-cam when it passes slightly beyond its {dead-center osition in" openlng the va1ve,wh1 chjrequ1res no Sklll or experience to manufacture and install, which maintains its adjustment; at all" times, which is simple in construction',and which may be i manu factured at afcomparatively small cost;

hedra ig f Figure 1; 'is Jan e d elevation;

and

Other I objects and advantages a Fig. 4 is a section on line 4- 1 of Fig. 2.

The valve 1 is provided with a stem 2 and moves vertically within the drain or outlet pipe 3 fitted in the outlet opening of the wash basin 1, the upper end of the pipe providing a valve seat 5 for the valve, and being held in position by a nut 6 screwed thereon. A shaft 7 is journaled in a hearing member 8 secured to the connection 9 which is screwed to drain pipe 3 and forms part of the latter, one end of the shaft extending into the interior of connection 9 and being provided with a cam 10 having a press fit thereon, the cam being arranged to engage the lower end of stem 2 of the valve to effect openingand closing movements of the latter upon rotation of shaft 7 in the proper direction. A crank arm 11 having a. hub 11 is fixed to the outer end of shaft 7 and so arranged with respect to cam 10 that when the latter is moved slightly beyond its dead-center position upon valve-opening movement of shaft 7 in the direction of arrow shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the crank arm Will be an appreciable distance forward of its dead-center position. Downward movement of the manually operable member connected to crank arm 11 is thus permitted to cause rotation of shaft 7 and cam 10 fixed thereto in theopposite direction to permit valve 1 to close by its own weight. Crank arm 11 may be adjusted along shaft 7 to meet varying conditions and fixed against rotation with respect thereto by any suitable means such as a set screw 12 screwed into hub 11 and engaging shaft 7.

The parts of the valve actuating mechanism which engage or coact with each other to provide a stop when cam 10 is moved slightly beyond its dead-center position in opening valve 1, and which act to hold the cam in this position, will now be described.

A member 13 is provided with a reduced end.

portion 14 extending loosely through an opening in the free end 15 of crank arm 11, and is held in position by means of the washer 16 arranged upon end 14 and a cotter pin 17 extending therethrough. Member 13 is provided with a transverse opening through which rod 18 passes, the lower end 19 of the rod being extended beyond member 13 and engaging hub 11 of the crank arm 11, as shown in Figs. 1 and 41, when the latter is rotated a sufficient amount in the direction of the arrow to move cam 10 slightly beyond its dead-center position, as shown in Fig. 3. It will thus be seen that certain of the parts of the valve actuating mechanism, namely, the lower end19 of rod 18 and hub 11 of crank arm 11,in and of themselves provide a stop for limiting movement of cam 10 to a predetermined position beyond its dead-center position for the purpose explained above, thereby holding the cam in this pre-determined position against further movement in the direction of the 211' row in Fig. 3.

A rod 20 is slidably mounted in any suitable manner in the back edge or shelf of basin 4, as shown, and provided at its lower end with a collar 21 having an apertured lug 22 through which the upper end 23 of rod 18 loosely passes, as shown in Fig. 2, collar 21 being held in fixed axial relation with respect to rod 19 by means of a collar 241 arranged on rod 19 above collar 21, a cotter pin 25 extending through collar 24 and the rod, a washer 26 arranged upon rod 19 below collar 21, and a cotter'pin 27 extending through the rod below washer 26. Got ter pins 28 pass through the upper end 23 of rod 18 on either side of lug 22, as shown to hold these parts in proper assembled relation. The collars 21 and 24 and cotter pins 25, 27 and 28 provide simple means for connecting the lower end of rod 20 to the upper end 23 of rod 18, and after once being assembled, as shown and described, cannot Work loose, but remainin proper adjusted position for all time. I11 installing the valve and actuating mechanism therefor, rod 18 is inserted through the opening in inember 13 and crank arm '11 rotated in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 until cam 10 is in the position shown in Fig. 3, slightly beyond its dead-center position. Rod 18 and member 13 are then fixed against relative movement with respect to eachother by means of a set screw 29 .screwed into the large end of member 13 and engaging the rod. The actuating mechanism for the valve may thus be quickly and accurately adjusted and fixed permanently in adjusted position. i

From the foregoing it will be seen that an improved valve actuating mechanism. of the character referred to .above has been provided in which certain of the parts comprising the mechanism are adapted and arranged for engagement or coaction with each other to provide a stop when the meeh anism is moved slightly beyond its deadcenter position in opening the valve, and that the improved mechanism has advantages over those used heretofore as regards simplicity of construction and operation, and ease with which the same is set up or installed. i

Although the lower end 19 of rod 18 and hub 11 of crank arm 11 have been shown and described as providing a stop for bold. ing cam 10 in a predetermined position bethe size, shape and arrangement of the parts f opening movement of the latter and com-' prising a plurality of parts connected .for. relative movement with respect to each other,

opening movement of the latter and includH ing a plurality of arts connected for rela tive movement wit respect to" each other, certain of said parts being adapted and arranged for engagement with each other when said mechanism reaches a predeter- I mined position beyond said dead-center position whereby saidmechanism is heldin said predetermined position and said; valve held open.

2. The combination with avalve, of actuating mechanism therefor having a deadcenter position which is passed during valveopening movement of the latter and comprising a pluralityof parts connected for relative movement with respect to each other, said parts including a shaft, a crank arm fixed to said shaft, and an actuating meme ber connected to said crank arm, said actuating member being adapted and arranged for engagement with one of said parts when said mechanism is in a predetermined position beyond'said dead-center position where by said mechanism isvheld in said predetermined position and said valve held open. 3. The combinationwitha valve, of actuating mechanism therefor having a dead, center position which is passedduring valvesaid parts including a shaft, a crank arm "fixed to said shaft, a member pivotally ing one of its ends extending through said mounted in the free end of said crank arm and'provided with a transverse op enlng, and

' a manually-operable rod having one of its and said valve held open.

4. The combination with a va1ve, of actuends extending through said opening in said member and fixedagainst relative movement with respect to the latter, said end of said rod extending beyond said member and being adapted and arranged for engagement with one of said parts when said mechanism eaches a predetermined position beyond said dead-center position whereby said mechanism is held in said predetermined position ating mechanism therefor having a deadcenter position which is passed during valveopen'ing movement of the latter and comprising a plurality of parts connected for relative movement with res ect to each other,

said parts including a s aft, a crank arm fixed to said shaft and provided with a hub, and an actuating member connected to said crank arm, said actuating member being adapted and arranged for-engagement with said hubwhen said mechanism is in a determined position beyond said dead-center position whereby said mechanism is held in said predetermined position and said valve 7 held open.

5. The combination with a valve and cam for effecting opening and closing movements thereof, said cam having a deadcenter positionwhich is passed during valveopening movement of the latter, of operating mechanism associated with said cam and including a pluralityof parts-connected for relative movement wth respect to each other,

certain ofsaidparts being adapted. and arranged for engagement with each other i when said camreaches a predetermined position be 0nd said dead-center position whereby said cam is held in said predetermined position and said 'valveheld open.

' i 6. In combination, a valve, and actuating mechanism therefor comprising a shaft provided; with a cam adapted to effect opening I a-ndclosing movements of said valve upon rotation of said shaft, said camhaving a dead-center position which is passedduring valve-opening movement of said shaft, a crank arm fixed to said shaft, a member "pivotally mounted in the free end of said crank arm and provided'with a transverse opening, and a manually-operable rod hav-' opening and fixed against relative movement with respect to said member, said end of said rod being adapted and arranged for engagement with one of said parts of said mechanism when said cam reaches a predetermined position beyond said dead-center position whereby said c'am' is held in said open. v V p v 7 In witness whereof I. hereto aflix my signature. I r

. EDWARD NIEDECKEN.

predetermined position and said valve held 

